Xerox Corp. denied a report in Tuesday's New York Post that it had hired an investment firm as a bankruptcy adviser.

The struggling office machines maker acknowledged it had hired the Blackstone Group, a New York-based investment firm, as one of several financial advisers to counsel the company on its turnaround plan. But Xerox said it has no plans to file for bankruptcy court protection.

The Post quoted sources it did not identify as saying Xerox had retained Art Newman, head of Blackstone's bankruptcy practice.

Fourth-quarter profit was probably almost triple estimates of 5 cents to 10 cents a share, Entergy spokesman Morgan Stewart said in pre-announcing the company's results. Earnings in 2000 were at least 6 percent higher than estimates of $2.85 to $2.90 a share.

Colder-than-normal weather in the South spurred heating demand from Entergy's electric utilities, which have 2.5 million customers in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.

Earnings also benefited from nuclear-plant acquisitions in New York and improved energy-trading results, the company said.

Mag gets bi-monthly rollout

Sun-Sentinel Co. has launched City & Shore, a magazine covering lifestyles in South Florida that will be published six times a year.

Features in the first issue of the magazine, mailed to more than 35,000 homes this week, talk about what styles are fashionable in South Florida, alternatives for living on the east and west sides of Broward and Palm Beach counties and bachelors attending this season's charity auctions.

The publication will also be available to at Sun-Sentinel offices and local businesses.

AOL Latin unit seeking cash

America Online Inc.'s Latin America unit said it plans to come up with a plan by March to raise money this year to finance expansion of Internet services in the region.

Banco Itau SA, a Brazilian bank that owns 12 percent of the company, said it's willing to increase investments in the Internet provider. America Online Latin America stock is trading at $3.69, well below its initial public offering price of $8 on Aug. 7.

Fort Lauderdale-based AOL Latin America is a joint venture between America Online Inc., and Venezuela's Cisneros Group. The company has 314,000 users in Mexico, Argentina and Brazil.

Clairol offering snubbed

Alberto-Culver Co., the world's No. 1 distributor of beauty-salon products, won't buy the Clairol hair-care unit being sold by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. because the acquisition is problematic, CEO Howard Bernick said at a Goldman, Sachs & Co. consumer-products conference in Miami.

Also at the conference, Kimberly-Clark Corp., maker of Kleenex tissue and Scott paper towels, said it will raise prices 6 percent on towels and tissues sold to hotels and offices to recoup energy costs.